 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello, my husband and I (30 and 31) are going to book a weeks skiing in the middle of Feb. After much reading and talking to others, I am pretty keen on 3 resorts - Wengen, Saalbach and Obergurgl.
My top priorities are a good ski school, ski 2 door (or near enough!), decent apres ski and a friendly, relaxing resort. Does anyone have experience of any of these resorts?
Can anyone recommend any good hotels? Ones that have been mentioned are
Wengen - Wengenhof and the Brunner
Saalbach - Reiterhof and Berger Sporthotel
Obergurgl - Austria and Madeleine
Would we be better to organise lessons, ski hire, pass, etc. through the holiday company or do it when we get out there?
Any help, gratefully recieved!!!
Thanks,
Jen
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Jen, welcome to snowHeads!
I'd choose Obergurgl. It should have the best snow of the three, being the highest in altitude, and I think it would be the most practical for you.
Saalbach is a big busy resort, big lift network, ideal when you're over the initial confidence hurdle.
Wengen is best saved for later, when you can really enjoy the spectacular scenery and link to Grindelwald - it's an ideal intermediate resort.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Wengen the Brunner will let you ski in and out the door, however it's almost out of the village and it's quite a pull to get back there at night so be warned, the Bernerhof is at the other end of the high street to the station however you can ski almost back to it and it will take at most 5 mins to walk from there to the station 2 mins to get to the cablecar, however see Alastair Pink's, comment in the FAO D G Orf [caution wengen content] thread, those weeks will be busy with loads of kids arround, the apres ski in Wengen cannot be described as spectacular, in fact barely adaquate would be a better term, nightlife at Sinas Pub just up the street from the Bernerhof or the Chillis just down the street from the bernerhof is about it, I suggest sticking well clear of the Basement of the Silberhorn where there is another club as it's normally dreadful.
I'd still recomend the Alpenrose if they have any rooms available, not as far from the center of the resort as the Brunner and very good food and atmosphere, nice bar, lounge with log fire etc. I'll be there from Jan 30th till Feb 15th though 
Wherever you go you may wish to book lessons in advance (most ski schools have web sites) as it's likely to be busy, ski hire ski pass and ski lessos usually cost you the same in resort it's just that the holiday companies get a kickback in turn for your money however it is worth checking the websites just to be certain, www.wengen.com has prices for all 3 services I think though you may have to hunt arround a bit, ski school and ski hire are under shops (I'll recomend Central Sport as they've always done good work for me) but there is also Alpia and Molitor in the village for ski hire, Ski school you have a choice of 2, if going for general group lessons then the Swiss ski school are fine, however if going for private lessons I've only heard nice things about the Privat Ski School and they may work out a little cheaper
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Don't know Wengen but Obergurgl is spread down the road so the cluster around the Eidelweiss is about the closest to ski-in ski-out you will get there. There are lots of 4*'s which can be good value for money. Over the two I would chose Obergurgl but Saalback probably has a bit more night life. The Christianna is very nice, 4* and only a short walk to the piste/lifts and nursery area. I don't think you can far wrong with either.
Both Sallbach and Obergurgl have good oompah band bars and umbrella bars on the home runs so get in there and have a few beers. Girls will be swept away by 'friendly' germanic types who think they can dance in ski boots...!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi Jen, I'm a fan of Obergurgl, but watch out where in the village your hotel is though quite a lot of the hotels seem to have minibuses to deliver you to the ski school meeting place.
Saalbach has it's lift access a bit more spread over the town and uphill, and gets a lot of British school parties, half term week starting 12th Feb for our area and the week after for some others, nevertheless we had a great week there a couple of years ago, but snow reliability can be a problem.
Wengen I've only visted in summer, so have no ski advice. But others will oblige.
Advice for Obergurgl depends on how 'beginner' you are.
Excellent ski school, max 9 in a group.
Nederhutte for apres is great, and they'll give you a lift down on the snowmobile if you are too drunk to ski.
Up the 'hill' in Obergurgl is not quite so good for beginners as you have to get down, by ski or walk down an icy hill, to the meeting place and lifts(Hotels Austria, Bellevue, Bergwelt, Austria, Alpenland and our favourite Gotthard). By the Festkogl lift is also out of town for beginners to the meeting place, walking or catching the bus is such a pain with skis(Hotels Crystal and Deutschman). I can highly recommend the Gamper having just been there over Christmas, otherwise Edelweiss, Jenewein, Madeleine(short walk but flat), Wiesental, Josl.
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And I meant to say
You can book ski school at the ski school buro, ski hire easy from any shop sometimes with discount and get lift passes at the lift, but Inghams charge the same price on the bus into town so unless you can get discount it's easy to sort out with them. You can check all the prices before you go on www.obergurgl.com.
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Thanks for the advice everyone. Think we have decided on Obergurgl! If anyone can help with hotel/ website info, it'd be much appreciated. Have posted above too!
Can't wait to hit the slopes in Feb!
Jen
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Jen we went to obergurgl last year and it really is a nice little place, we stayed at the madeleine which was nice enough although we thought the small bar in there was very smoky but we hate smoke anywhere, if i went again i would be tempted to stay at the eidelweiss which is at the bottom of the slopes and where the apres ski bar is, which was all very civilised but a good atmosphere although you will struggle to find a decent bar at night whatever anyone tells you, the josy keller i think that's what it was called is a small lively bar but has a very low roof and was possibly the smokiest place i have ever been to, i thought i was in an experiment at one point, and the nightclub under the josl hotel is like going back in time, but we did enjoy the resort and i suppose you can't have everything, but you will enjoy the slopes have fun 
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Jen - do you mean the middle of Feb 2005 - helf term? You may be about a year too late unfortunately, unless you are very lucky or are prepared to drive the whole way. The swiss flights were sold out by April, there's nothing much left anyway on a package. Other than that Wengen and Obergurgl are both good choices, I don't know Saalbach.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Personally I would avoid Saalbach like the plague! Unless you like to be surrounded on and off the piste by a horde of drunken Swedes, Dutch and, unfortunately, Brits. Saalbach has just taken the whole apres ski thing a few steps too far, and the skiing is not really particularly spectacular either (the same applies to Ischgl, in my humble opinion).
I would certainly consider Obergurgl. I can recommend the Hotel Granat-Schloessl. Great atmosphere. Good food. Friendly service, and only a couple of minutes walk to the next lift.
Why not also consider Kitzbuehel/Kirchberg? Really nice village(s). Enormous ski area. Much bigger than Obergurgl. Lots of variety in the pistes with something for all levels. And although I've been living here for twenty years now I have never yet seen a winter where you couldn't ski there, despite the fact that it's often criticised as being not very high. One advantage is that you have trees, which makes skiing in bad conditions a lot easier than in a high resort like Obergurgl. I have experienced whiteout conditions there where I couldn't tell whether the piste was going downhill or up, or in fact where the piste was at all...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Mike Lawrie, I'm sorry but I disagree. I thought the apres -ski was just about right. You could participate in revellry if you want, or you can tone it down too if that's your desire. Went there in Jan 2004, and loved the place. It was much better than Courchevel for atmosphere, but perhaps a little too challenging for first timers.
I'm taking the kids for their first trip in Feb 2006, and in Austria am thinking about Kitzbuhel. My OH has a phobia about France, as she skied there twice and was badly injured both times, hence next skiing trip is 2006!!
Wengen will a bit more expensive, and Obergurgl skiing is more snowsure owing to the altitude, but I'm sorry I can't comment on the suitability of the skiing.
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Peter B, I had some bad experiences there with said drunken hoards, but I have to admit that I have not been back for a long time. Probably more than ten years now that I think about it, so maybe things have changed a bit. I agree about Courchevel, although I am told that the French resorts are trying to get rid of their concrete jungle image and are at least no longer allowing new monstrosities to be built. That seems to have worked quite well in Val D'Isere, although even there the atmosphere doesn't come close to what you find in most places in Austria.
I have a strong Kitzbuehel bias, because it's only about one and a quarter hours drive from Munich, and to my mind it's the second best resort in Austria (after the Arlberg)... The great thing about it is that it has something for all levels, and with the new connected ski safari it's also an enormous area for you to cover. Recommended!
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You know it makes sense.
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I have been to Sallbach and Obergurgl in the last 5 years. Saalbach was not rowdy even though it is board-friendly. I stayed at the Christianna, 4 * (Thomsons) at the top of the main drag and it was just a quick walk to the piste. Probably one of the most convenient hotels I think, in that respect.
But skiing is an active sport, everyone should be able to walk a few hundred yards in ski boots and if you are anywhere near the main drag that is all you will do.!!
In Obergurgl, I stayed at the Muhle which is just out of town..5 mins... but agree that the Eidelweiss
is about an near to everything that you can get, I think.
Nightlife in Obergurgl is quieter, but start early in the oompah bars off the slopes and then who cares about dinner..!
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